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Researchers exploring the underwater wreck of an American aircraft carrier have discovered what's left of a wood-panelled Ford automobile from the 1940s in the ship's hanger bay. It's not clear what the vehicle is doing there, but the researchers think it may have been used as a staff car by naval officers during World War II.
The discovery was announced late last month by the Ocean Exploration program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which coordinated an expedition to the wreck of USS Yorktown in April by experts onboard the research vessel Okeanos Explorer.
The Yorktown was badly damaged in fighting during the Battle of Midway in early June 1942; it was returning to Hawaii for repairs when it was sunk by torpedoes from a Japanese submarine on June 7, 1942.
The new exploration also revealed the remains of three Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers on board — the first time that any warplanes from the Midway conflict have been discovered underwater.
Research suggests that two of the aircraft were from another American aircraft carrier but had landed on the Yorktown after being damaged in the fighting at Midway; the third aircraft seems to have been one of Yorktown's reserve bombers.
The Yorktown wreck was found in 1988 during an expedition led by the renowned American oceanographer Robert Ballard (who co-led the 1985 expedition that found the Titanic), about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) northwest of Honolulu and at a depth of about 18,000 feet (5,500 meters).
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That's far too deep for human divers and the Yorktown wreck has been explored only once before, with a remotely-operated underwater vehicle (ROV) in 2023. The latest discoveries were also made with ROVs tethered to the Okeanos Explorer.
Underwater museum
Marine archaeologist Philip Hartmeyer, who led the NOAA Ocean Exploration expedition, told Live Science the researchers were surprised to find the remains of the Ford car, but that they were emblematic of the Yorktown explorations.
"Dives like those on Yorktown highlight how little we know about what lies in our deep ocean — from its history to marine life and habitats it harbors," he said in an email.
"In addition to allowing the public to learn more about American history, the bravery of our military, and the museum that lies at the bottom of the sea, these dives help the nation better understand and appreciate the overall need to explore and manage our ocean resources," Hartmeyer said.
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(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
The front license plate of the vehicle reads "SHIP SERVICE ___ NAVY".
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
The remains of three Dauntless dive bombers were found on one of the carrier's elevators, which were used to transfer aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar deck.
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
The Yorktown sank in 1942 after being badly damaged during the Battle of Midway. The wreck was discovered in 1988 and has only been explored once before.
(Image credit: Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue)
The researchers also used a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to image a hand-painted mural recording the carrier's voyages.
The remains of the automobile were located on the port (left) side of the aft (rear) of the carrier's vast hanger deck, which ran almost the length of the ship beneath its uppermost flight deck. It has been tentatively identified as a 1940 or 1941 Ford Super Deluxe 'Woody' wagon.
The vehicle was painted black and had exterior wood paneling when it was new, but the paneling has now rotted away underwater. The researchers think it may have been a staff car for naval officers or that it was used by the carrier's crew.
Sunken discoveries
As well as finding the remains of the Ford, the researchers used an ROV to image a hand-painted mural onboard the wrecked carrier that portrayed its voyages around the world.
According to the statement, the mural measures 42 feet by 12 feet (12.8 by 3.6 m) and shows "the pride that Yorktown's sailors had for their ship, the global scale of Yorktown's activities, and the strategic role that the ship played in defending the United States."
The discoveries will help researchers piece together what actually happened during the famous wartime attack on the U.S. military base at Midway Atoll in the northern Pacific Ocean. The attack was defeated by U.S. forces and is thought to have been an attempt by Japan to lure American warships away from their base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
"The mission to Yorktown is exploration at its highest level, helping solve mysteries in unexplored parts of U.S. waters," Hartmeyer said.
Tom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor who is based in London in the United Kingdom. Tom writes mainly about science, space, archaeology, the Earth and the oceans. He has also written for the BBC, NBC News, National Geographic, Scientific American, Air & Space, and many others.
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